SF Family Encourages Random Acts Of Kindness

by Jill Johnson
March 12, 2013 5:27 PM


It's a day, Alison Ter Horst and her husband Tim will never forget.

Alison Ter Horst says, "I would just get a sick feeling in my stomach. I don't, I was dreading it and I didn't want March to come."

That's because March 12 is their daughter, Quinn Noel's birthday. It would have been her first, but on July 21 of last year, she suddenly, unexpectedly passed away.

Ter Horst says, "She was in our arms and started crying and arched her back and went limp."

Alison and her husband performed CPR but 45 minutes later they found themselves saying goodbye to their only child.

"Everything came back that she was in optimal health and so they labeled it as Sudden Infant Death, as undetermined," says Ter Horst.

Now eight months later, the couple decided they would honor their little girl's life, her birthday, by doing random acts of kindness. March 12 would be Celebrated as Quinncidence Day.

Ter Horst says, "I put it on a blog that I've been writing and just kind of put it out there for friends and family and then I just checked today and it's had 43,000 views on the blog so it's just crazy how much it's spread, very unexpected."

Not only has the word spread to family and friends, but to students and faculty at Washington High School, where Alison is a psychology teacher.

Ter Horst says, "I came into my room and students had come at 7 o'clock last night (Monday night) and decorated it."

Not only are students showing Alison they care, but they're showing others too.

WHS Senior Nicole Grinager says, "People can come and write down their random act of kindness and then they go over by the wall and post them by the counselor's office. I've seen people slip candy into other people's backpacks or put them on the lockers, a lot of hugs going around today (Tuesday)."

Random Acts of Kindness to help a mother, a family, heal.

Ter Horst says, "A lot of them have said, 'I just sent my mom flowers and told her how much I loved her' or 'I'm taking my mom out to eat tonight' which kind of comes full circle because as a mother that blesses me in that way too."

Click here to follow the Ter Horst family and their journey.